The Israeli government appears to be easing off of recent threats to launch a military attack on Iran. On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said any decision to bomb Iran is “very far off.” In Washington, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the United States remains prepared to take military action if Iran follows through on a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: “We have continually maintained a strong presence in the region to make very clear that we are going to do everything possible to help secure the peace in that part of the world. And so, the answer to your question is that, you know, we obviously always continue to make preparations, to be prepared for any contingency, but we are not making any special steps at this point in order to deal with the situation. Why? Because, frankly, we are fully prepared to deal with that situation now.”